Prince Albert personally carried one of the two boxes containing a chick (weighing a total of 14 kg) over a 200-meter elevation, reaching 1900m above sea level. The two 90-day-old chicks were placed in a cave where they will be fed and observed by the agents of the Mercantour National Park until they can fly away permanently.
On several occasions, Prince Albert emphasized both his pride in his foundation, which was inaugurating its first tangible project in the Mercantour National Park, and the importance he places on the defense of the environment and biodiversity for us and for future generations. The sincerity of his commitment was palpable and appreciated by all participants.
The agreement signed on this day between the Mercantour National Park and the Prince Albert II Foundation will fund the purchase, release, and tracking of 2 bearded vultures per year over 3 years (alternating between Mercantour Park and the Maritime Alps Natural Park, its Italian neighbor and twin for 20 years). The two released bearded vultures will be equipped with a satellite transmitter in a few days, allowing for real-time telemetry monitoring on the Mercantour National Park website (www.mercantour.eu).
The bearded vultures released on May 22, 2007, were born in Austria in February. Early in the morning, they were prepared (measured, weighed, etc.) and presented to His Serene Highness and members of the Foundation, who had chosen to name them Rocca and Fontvieille, like the districts of the Principality of Monaco.
The Bearded Vulture, the largest bird in Europe (it can reach a wingspan of 3 meters), is a scavenger specialized in the consumption of bones from carcasses: it is at the very end of the food chain and thus intervenes after all other scavengers (vultures, crows, foxes, wild boars, etc.). Its presence in an ecosystem is therefore entirely appropriate, which legitimizes the international program aimed at reintroducing the Bearded Vulture in the Alps, with Mercantour being one of the release sites since 1993.
Contacts:
Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation: Philippe Mondielli: 00 377 98 98 40 09
Mercantour National Park: Florent Favier: 00 33 04 93 16 78 88 / 06 13 95 13 39
Press Service of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco: 00 377 93 25 18 31
